Be-Do-Have by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC
We all know it’s important to have goals. We immediately increase our chances of succeeding when we set specific written expectations and measure ourselves against these regularly.
Today, let’s look at goal setting a little differently by looking at who we have to be and what we have to do to in order to have what we want. It’s a
slightly different spin on the traditional goal setting.
First, start by looking at what you want to have in life. Are you looking for career success, financial security, a legacy or a family life? There will likely be two or three major things you want in life. Once you’ve determined these, move on to the next step.
Think about the kind of person who has the things you want. For example, if you are really longing for a family, but you spend 80 hours a week at work, you will immediately recognize that, right now, you are not being a person who could manage a family. If this is a top priority for you, it’s time to consider if you can work toward your family goal by doing things the way you currently do them.
Next comes the hard part. Determine what you need to do to have the things you have defined as your priorities. Your new goals will be to implement the actions required to bring you the things you desire. If you desire a different career, for example, write down the steps it will take to get you into that field or that company.
As you write down specific tasks, you may find that there are things you believe you want that are incongruent with steps you are willing to take. When this is the case, it’s time for soul searching. You must either decide you are willing to make changes in your life to get what you want, or you must accept the fact that you don’t really want to reach that goal as much as you thought.
No matter what you decide, this is a valuable exercise, because it really helps you to put your goals into perspective, and to prevent spinning your wheels.
Each desire that you have will require a fairly specific set of actions, and will, to some extent, require you to be a particular type of person. Defining your personality and the actions you need to take will help you focus your life on reaching those goals that are truly important.